In time for the Olympics, Onitsuka Tiger opens a Paris ‘hôtel’

All eyes will flip to Paris this weekend because the Olympics – and its accompanying festivities (not least the Olympics opening ceremony) – take over the town, from the waters of the River Seine to the grounds of Versailles. Japanese sportswear model Onitsuka Tiger, which has a protracted Olympic historical past (its 1964 Runsparks had been debuted on the Tokyo video games, whereas the model’s seminal Mexico 66 sneakers had been created for the 1968 Mexico Metropolis video games), is internet hosting a celebration of its personal, marking 75 years in enterprise on maybe Paris’ most well-known boulevard.

Situated on Avenue des Champs-Élysées in an 18th-century hôtel particulier, this week marks the opening of Hôtel Onitsuka Tiger, an immersive ‘lodge’ embellished within the model’s signature shade of sign yellow. And, whereas the bags trolleys within the entranceway serve solely as mise-en-scène – at the moment you can not examine into the lodge for overnights – Onitsuka Tiger nonetheless guarantees a busy schedule of performances and occasions that proceed to forge the model’s connection to the humanities (its London retailer, which opened in 2022, boasts a gallery in its basement).

Hôtel Onitsuka Tiger in Paris

Throughout the lodge’s numerous rooms – which embrace the ‘Heritage’ room, ‘Modern’ room and ‘Immersive’ room – numerous figures might be hosted in altering residencies. These embrace Yuja Wang, a pianist and Emmy Award winner, songwriter and musician Maïa Barouk, and rising artist Yutaro Inagaki. Elsewhere, anticipate a glimpse into the historical past of Onitsuka Tiger with an ongoing exhibition of archival footwear, a show of images that spans the previous 75 years, and an set up devoted to the founder Kihachiro Onitsuka.

Those that do want some hospitality can guide into the Yellow Tiger Café, a Japanese restaurant led by Yoji Tokuyoshi, a Michelin Star-awarded chef who lives and works in Milan. The intimate café guarantees up to date riffs on conventional Japanese delicacies.

The challenge – which Onitsuka Tiger hopes establishes a ’hub’, the place ‘cultural luminaries from numerous fields can convene and share concepts with unrestricted artistic freedom’ – is a precursor of types for a brand new Paris flagship. Opening in 2025, it can even be on Avenue des Champs-Élysées, a part of an evolution of the road which has seen a slew of latest luxurious openings, from a monolithic new Saint Laurent retailer to a large-scale Louis Vuitton challenge (rumoured to be a lodge) which so-far stays in development.